A FLINTSHIRE independent bookshop is one of 500 to share £2 million in profit generated by Bookshop.org.

After strong Christmas sales on the alternative to Amazon hit its second million in profit.

It will allow bookshops, like The Bookshop in Mold, on the platform to expand their shops and run signings and open mic events.

The Mold Bookshop, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021, is run by Caroline Johnson.

Navigating a challenging year, from national lockdowns to cancelled author events, independent booksellers continued to prove resourceful, creative and resilient throughout

2021, with sales booming around the Christmas period both in their physical shops and online.

Bookshop.org customers have now generated over £2 million in profit for indies, with 55% of the total profit being distributed to bookshops in customer-designated commissions, and

45% being shared equally among all participating bookshops as part of a shared profit pool.

Independent booksellers are vocal about how commission from Bookshop.org supported their in-shop efforts by bringing in incremental financial revenue, ensuring their physical

businesses were able to keep going even through hard times.

Caroline Johnson said "The commission received from Bookshop.org has been a great help financially during the pandemic and has enabled us to expand our range of titles on offer in our store."

Caroline said the most popular books at her shop have been autobiographies by comedian Bob Mortimer, Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen, and The Lyrics by Paul McCartney.

Nicole Vanderbilt, Managing Director of Bookshop.org UK, said: "We believe readers should go into an indie bookshop whenever they can – there is simply nothing else like it, but

when they can't, there is a better way to buy books online. By choosing Bookshop.org for their holiday book shopping, readers have generated over £2 million in incremental profit for these amazing independent bookshops. This is a testament to the fact that there's a place for ethical shopping in online book-buying. We are looking forward to supporting independent booksellers throughout 2022 and to help them get great titles in the hands of their customers."

Among the books that have generated the most money for independent bookshops last year, proving the "Indie Champions" for 2021 and helping Bookshop.org reach its second million, are:

  • Booker Prize winner for 2020 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart; The Boy, The Mole
  • The Fox and The Horse by much-loved author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy
  • Poor by Caleb Femi, winner of the Forward Prize for Poetry for 2021
  • The moving memoir and instant Sunday Times best-seller A Promised Land by Barack Obama
  • Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage